UN VIRTUAL IMMERSIVE MOVIE PER LA FRUIZIONE DEL PATRIMONIO ARCHEOLOGICO: IL VIAGGIO NELLA “TOMBA DELLA REGINA” DI SIROLO-NUMANA

The paper presents a workflow aimed at documenting, disseminating, and making archaeological heritage more accessible. To preserve scientific rigour and data accuracy, also providing an emotional experience to the audience, the entire process was carried out through the collaborative efforts of three professionals: the archaeologist, the digitization expert, and the entertainment industry professional. The case study is a pre-Roman necropolis located in the “I Pini” archaeological area (Marche Region, Italy). The site presents several circular burials, one of which belongs to a female figure known as the “Queen”, which became the central focus of the narrative. The first working step was the digital documentation of a selection of the findings from the “Queen’s” tomb, currently displayed at the Antiquarium Statale of Numana, followed by the virtual reconstruction of the burial. Then, the obtained 3D models were used to generate a Virtual Immersive Movie (VIM) which allows visitors to immerse themselves in the virtual reconstruction and interact with the archaeological findings using a Head-mounted Display. The evaluation of the user experience proved the effectiveness of the VIM. The scores obtained from the questionnaire will also serve as inspiration for further enhancements, aiming to deliver a more interactive and improved educational experience.